Srinagar, July 29 -- Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday directed departments to accelerate the pace of capital expenditure (CAPEX) and ensure timely utilisation of funds.

The chief minister chaired a high-level review meeting on CAPEX at the Civil Secretariat here and directed all departments to significantly accelerate the pace of expenditure, emphasising that timely utilisation of available funds is critical for infrastructure development, public service delivery and sustained economic growth, an official spokesman said.

He said Abdullah underscored the need for focused attention on departments lagging in expenditure and cautioned against the practice of delaying spending until the closing months of the financial year.

"To have ...